34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Reflection

There are many words that jump out at us from these three verses as we read about the plight of too many of our fellow human beings. Hungry. Thirsty. Stranger. Naked. Sick. Prison.

But I’m most struck by one single, small word that gets repeated over and over — “I.” That Jesus would have this King (himself of course) identify with those clinging to the margins of life is astounding. If in fact Jesus is telling us that HE hungers, thirsts, feels lost, is unclothed, suffers illness and imprisonment along with our fellow men, women and children — if this is true, then what does that suggest to us as we plan our family budget, our corporate benevolences, our church missions? What does it suggest to us about how we use our time?